Liberty Owl Release

I had heard about these owl releases so I was really looking forward to this and I wasn't disappointed. The organization, Liberty Wildlife, rehabilitates owls and then releases them back into the wild. Tonight, they were releasing two owls out at Usery park before a full moon hike. There was a large crowd gathered when I pulled up, and I could see alot of cameras flashing. By going around to the other side of the group, I was able to get close up. When I got there, one of the owl handers had an owl out and was giving us a bit of information on it. After she put that owl away, she took out another one and explained that, although this particular owl wasn't being released tonight, two of this type of owl were. Then it was time for the release. The owl handlers took the two owls being released out of their carriers (they appeared ready to go!) and moved toward a more open part of the parking lot next to the trails. Prior to every release, the organization asks for a moment of silence for prayers and good wishes for the owls being released. Then they let them go. I had never been to the release of a rehabilitated animal or bird, and I wasn't prepared for how emotional it was for me. It was really a beautiful thing to see. It was hard to see them immediately after the release because it was dark, but they flew off in the same direction together. The handler said they would probably land somewhere soon so that they could get their bearings. I thought about them during the hike and hope they're doing well.

The hike itself was okay, but there were too many people there. They separated us into two groups; adults and families. There were 125 people in the adult group alone, and I think they may have cut the hike short due to the fact that there were so many people there. The manager of the park, who was leading our group, told us a funny story from when she was out at Spur Cross. There had been a release of four coyotes, and the next morning while headed out to Spur Cross she saw them headed back toward town.  Actually, two were headed back to town, and I guess the other two were seen headed back toward town a few days later. I didn't get a chance to ask her how she knew they were the released coyotes, but I thought it was funny, and a bit ironic, that she saw them headed back to town.

Here are some photos from the owl release.

This particular owl wasn't being released, but two of the same type were.  Isn't it beautiful?  Look at those eyes!

Another shot of the same owl.

The first owl to be released being taken out of the carrier.

The second owl to be released being taken out of the carrier.

The following two pictures are of the owls just prior to the release. 



Wind Cave Trail

In addition to seeing a lot of interesting things while hiking, I have had the opportunity to learn about Arizona history.  I’ll be sharing information and pictures from quite a few of the trails I’ve hiked, and thought I’d begin with the Wind Cave Trail, which is located in the Tonto National Forest. 

By the time I finally hiked this trail, I was really looking forward to it as I had heard about it quite some time before I hiked it but had just never made it over there.  It’s also one of the more popular trails in the Usery Mountain Regional Park.

As I was standing at the trailhead looking up at the mountain, I really had no idea where the cave was located. (The cave is more of an eroded (by wind) overhang at the base of a steep cliff.) The trail goes up and across the face of Pass Mountain. What I did notice was a wide band of what one review of the trail called "lichen" which is a symbiotic association of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner. It would have been hard to miss! It was green in color and was in the form of a wide band that ran the length of the mountain. I never thought that the trail would take me to within a few feet of the lichen. I took some photos of the entire mountain after I was done hiking and knew where the cave was located. As you look up at the mountain from the trailhead, it's at the right end of the wide band of lichen. I believe it would be tough to see if it were pointed out by someone before hiking to it, but once you've been up to it, it's fairly easy to see. It appears as a dark spot at the end of the band of lichen.

The trail reminded me a bit of the Pine Creek Loop. The first part of the trail is relatively easy; the trail becomes increasingly steeper as you come closer to the cave. There are a number of bee hives along the walls of the cave. Interestingly, I couldn't hear the bees when I was on the trail in front of the cave.  It wasn't until I was actually in the cave that I heard the "humming" of the bees. I didn't stay long in the cave as I wasn't interested in being stung! Another interesting sight on this trail is the huge "Phoenix" sign on the side of Usery Mountain pointing toward the city.

Some photos of the Wind Cave Trail:

Making my way up toward the cave.

The trail is a little less defined here.

I wouldn't want to take a tumble off the trail at this point.

Nice view off to the left of the trail.

I took this picture while standing in front of the cave to the left looking out.  Nice View.

The Phoenix sign.

Nice shot of the side of the mountain and the lichen.

The cave.

I think I posted most of the good ones, but you can find more of my pictures from the Wind Cave Trail here:

Wind Cave Trail Photos